It’s time to reflect on my experience so far of BCM110 and so far it has been great. I’ve learnt a lot about media (with still so much more to learn), I’ve tackled the confusing navigation of WordPress, I am now an addicted tweeter (also thanks to BCM112) and I’m also a happy university student with some new friends helping me along the way.

The past six weeks have disappeared in the blink of an eye. I remember coming to my first lecture and being late as I couldn’t find parking before class. I enjoy each lecture our professor Sue Turnbull presents, so here, I want to say thank you to Sue and our tutors for making each lesson a memorable one and helping us get the most out of each week.

I never gave much thought into some of the topics raised throughout these six weeks and I’ve found it quite interesting to learn about, from the ‘media effects model’, semiotics and the way different people interpret the connotation or denotation, media ownership and why it matters who ‘controls’ the media, and the mediated public sphere, just to name a few. After each weekly blog post, as draining as I thought it had been, I have found that it has helped me understand the subject more in depth. Although in the lecture I understood everything said, I sometimes had trouble putting it on paper – or in this case, Word documents. I didn’t know how to start it or how to express myself as an individual but I found the more practice I had through the growing weeks, it got a little easier.

Now upon reflection, I have realised my weaknesses and can continue to practice my writing skills and put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard with a little more ease. I am still developing who I am through my style of writing but in doing these activities, I’m one step closer to the finish line.

The public sphere according to Alan McKee is “a metaphorical term that’s used to describe the virtual space where people can interact” (McKee, 2014). The mediated public sphere however, is a place where people may come together to discuss between each other topics central to their exposure within the media and its marketing. With this in mind, we turn to a ‘popular’ television show called Can of Worms by the Ten Network as an example of the mediated public sphere that provokes discussion on issues of personal, moral and ethical behaviour.

Can of Worms contributes to debate with its confrontational questions asking for responses that are challenging to answer but are in relation to the matters our society face today. Much like television show Q and A, both are a mediated public sphere provided by national broadcasters. We can use this image above as a source for a typical question raised within Can of Worms in which it is seen that personal values, ethical and moral boundaries are questioned to what is acceptable.

Can of Worms is a show that asks thought provoking questions to a wide age group but relies on spectacle to incite a combination of issues including moral, domestic, emotional and personal matters that concern society. It has audience and guest speaker interaction as well as social media participation and polls. They might not talk about last week’s episode of Game of Thrones or what they thought about the ‘Red Wedding’, something you would see on the social media platforms, but controversial topics are raised from something in our everyday lives, like “Is it ok to spy on your teenager online?”, to something more sensitive such as “Is it wrong to tell your kids there is no God?”.

For a more serious look into a Can of Worms question, watch this:
Can of Worms: “Is it wrong to tell your kids there is no God?”

References:
Can of Worms is it wrong to tell kids there is no god – YouTube. 2014. Can of Worms is it wrong to tell kids there is no god – YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW4beYRDTHk. [Accessed 05 April 2014].

TVWrap, (2011), Can of Worms [ONLINE]. Available at: http://tvwrap.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/can-of-worms.png [Accessed 05 April 14].

There is morning radio and television, daytime bulletins and evening news on commercial television to keep us informed of the news throughout the day and even the internet is a helpful platform in which to receive breaking news, however in years gone past, there were some cultures where all media was controlled by the government. In today’s free world most media is privately owned and controlled. Australia has many well-known people controlling the media spectrum through shares and ownerships like Gina Rinehart whom is a major shareholder of Fairfax Media and Ten Network; Rupert Murdoch who owns 21st Century Fox and News Corp, the world’s second largest media conglomerate; together all these parties have shares to the Ten Network. As these personalities own a majority of the Australian media spectrum, what difference does it make who owns the media you use?

Firstly, you have the power of influence that one could use with their financial status or social hierarchy to use the media as a platform to bend their own perceptions and views upon the public.

In a higher sense this leads on to the second point; political bias, where the government or private owner can control the media platforms in favour of their political views, in some cases this can have a ‘brainwash’ affect that forces the public to think or feel a certain way, for an example, the known fact that Kim Jong Il used the media to “maintain his god-like image” (Listverse, 2014).

Lastly, it matters who ‘controls’ the media as the sole owner of the media platform can’t have any news delivered to the public that would put them in a negative light or make them come at a loss in any way. This also links back to the bias control and power of influence. Simply put if you are a major media shareholder you can bet the media source will stand by the old adage – If you don’t have something nice to say about someone, don’t say it all.

References:

Top 10 Crazy Facts About Kim Jong Il – Listverse. 2014. Top 10 Crazy Facts About Kim Jong Il – Listverse. [ONLINE] Available at: http://listverse.com/2010/05/30/top-10-crazy-facts-about-kim-jong-il/. [Accessed 28 March 2014].

There are many ways in which we can ingest the media and determine its influential effects on society. We see masses of media each and every day and we see it as either utopian or dystopian. Whichever way you look at it though, we should not blame the media for society’s flaws. But, of course we do.  The media today is often blamed for a variety of society’s health issues including psychological and physiological impacts but are these accusations justifiable?

From an early age we’re delivered information about everything that is happening throughout the world, whether it’s ‘big’ news like flight MH370 or a lost puppy; but as consumers, we decide what we are exposed to and the extent to which we are open to the media. The media in its many forms is only a means of communication that brings to light the many facets that captivate the topic’s audience; it is a platform to provide information and once exposed, it is up to the individual to decide what they want to do with the material provided.

Whether digital or electronic media can be the reason behind the behaviour of adolescents or fashion magazines can cause body image issues, accusing the media for these effects are misguided. Psychologist Laurence Steinburg states that it is not the media’s influence that persuades someone to conduct oneself –

“Instead of pointing a collective finger at the entertainment industry, the most important influences on adolescents’ sexual behaviour are probably closer to home” (Telegraph, 2010).

The media then aren’t the ‘bad guys’, they’re only giving their audience what they want: news and views. So maybe we shouldn’t blame the mass media for society’s problems but rather making society more aware of them. If the media can bring to light the many harms we as society endure on a daily basis, problems such as depression and mental illness’ such as eating disorders, then encourage us to support those who are suffering these ailments, then the media has saved us from ourselves and, utopia prevails.

References:

Media ‘not to blame for sexualising teenagers’ – Telegraph. 2010. Media ‘not to blame for sexualising teenagers’ – Telegraph. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/social-media/7956006/Media-not-to-blame-for-sexualising-teenagers.html. [Accessed 17 March 2014].

When someone asks, “tell me a little something about yourself”, what do you think about? Do you think about your hobbies? Do you think about your family? How far do you reflect back upon your life and answer this simple question many of us have trouble answering? I think people have difficulty answering this question because to some degree, we’re afraid of what others think and how we will be judged.  Maybe there’s just some things we simply want to keep private – or perhaps one just doesn’t know where to start. I know I am one of those people who are not sure where to start but as always, the beginning is best.

Hello and welcome! My name is Amy and I consider myself not just one thing, but a collective of things that make me who I am. I am a bit of a movie buff, I love films and broadening my knowledge in relation to films and the entertainment industry. I absolutely love talking all things film; who was in it, what is coming soon, was the sequel better than the first movie… (We all know the answer to that one) but I also love photography, art and team sports. I have played sport since I was five and I’ve always preferred playing team sports, especially baseball. Just like NRL can be to some families in Australia, my family has a passion for baseball and support the L.A. Angels.

I found my interest in photography when I picked it up as an elective in high school. For the four years that I had it as an elective, the first two years were based in the dark room and the last two years were more about digital. When we switched to digital photography I learnt the uses of Adobe Photoshop and digital imaging. However, I prefer the ‘old school’ way and using a dark room; there’s just something about the processes that make me feel at home. Although I didn’t have it as an elective as long as photography, visual arts was also an elective of mine. I have always had a respect for art and the amazing talent different artists present. I could spend hours in an art museum the way people can spend their time on Facebook.

I have a wide range of interests and I believe there is still so much more to who I am than these paragraphs. In reference to the movie ‘Shrek’, I too, have layers like an onion and feel as though this is just the first layer. For now though, I have faith that this introduction embraces my passions, my spirit and hopefully some of my light humour. Thank you for reading and learning a little something about me.

You can also follow me on Twitter: @amylouise_143